Yuuya (narrating):Day 11 of this relationship.Day 1 of Nanami not bringing me lunch.
Not because she wants to break up.
No.Because… she caught a cold.The mighty queen of bento boxes has fallen.
And now… the lunch battlefield is MINE.
Location: Yuuya's kitchen. 6:04 a.m. He's wearing an apron that says "Don't Panic, It's Organic."
Yuuya:Okay. Okay. I can do this. How hard can it be?
Yuuya (reading recipe):"Step 1: Wash the rice."Easy.
Five minutes later.
Yuuya (drenched):Why did the rice fight back?!
6:45 a.m. The eggs are burnt, the rice cooker is bubbling like a volcano, and something is on fire. Possibly hope.
Yuuya:I should've just bought her bread from the convenience store like a normal disaster boyfriend!!
Later that morning. At school. Yuuya hides something behind his back as he enters the classroom.
Kai:Yo, Kanzaki. What's that smell? Is that… courage? Or did something die?
Yuuya:Shut up. I made lunch for Nanami.
Riku (chokes on his melon bread):You WHAT?!
Cut to rooftop. Lunchtime. Nanami sits bundled up in a scarf, sipping tea. Yuuya places something in front of her.
Nanami:...You made this?
Yuuya (looking like he survived a war):Yes. With my own two hands. And a very angry rice cooker.
Nanami (opening the lid):It's… um… expressive.
Yuuya:I was aiming for heart-shaped rice balls. They came out more like... stress balls.
Nanami (holding one gently):It's lumpy. But brave.
Yuuya (muttering):That's how I want to be remembered.
Nanami takes a bite. She pauses. Chews slowly.
Nanami:It tastes like... determination. And possibly soy sauce trauma.
Yuuya (panicking):Oh no. It's that bad?!
Nanami (smiling):It's perfect. Because you made it for me.
Yuuya (suspicious):You're not just saying that because you're sick and your taste buds are broken, right?
Nanami:Maybe. But I'm also happy.
Cut to Kai and Riku spying through the stairwell door with binoculars they definitely shouldn't have.
Kai:He actually cooked for her.
Riku:He's gone full domestic husband mode. I did not see this coming.
Kai:We need to upgrade our bet predictions.
Yuuya (handing over a thermos):I also made miso soup.Well, technically, my microwave made it. But I hit the buttons.
Nanami (softly):Thank you. No one's ever made lunch for me before.
Yuuya (surprised):What? But you always cook for everyone.
Nanami:That's different. I like doing it. But... this feels nice.
Yuuya:Even if it looks like a crime scene in a bento box?
Nanami (giggling):Especially then.
Later that evening. Nanami sends him a text.
📱 Nanami:Today's lunch made me feel better than any medicine. Can I get another one tomorrow? 😊
📱 Yuuya (typing):Tomorrow's menu: burnt eggs and emotional instability.
📱 Nanami:Perfect. 💕
Yuuya (narrating):She's too powerful.I tried to surprise her. And she ended up healing me instead.
Final panel: Yuuya in the kitchen again, holding a cookbook upside-down, with smoke behind him.
Yuuya:Tomorrow… I will NOT let the rice win.